Mangaluru: Bevy of Top Scientists converge at Sahyadri for IC-SMTEE ’16 Conference

Mangaluru: Never in the history of educational institutions in Karnataka that so many top scientists from the nation and abroad had taken part in a convention/seminar/conference- and for the first time in DK that nearly 50 scholars/scientists have gathered at Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management-Adyar in the outskirts of Mangaluru to address the participants at the International Conference on Smart Materials and Technologies for Emerging Electronics (IC-SMTEE-2016), held from 19th-20th February 2016 at the college auditorium. Kudos to Dr Richard Pinto- Director CENT and Conference Chairman for arranging this conference and also for his initiative in launching the research centre at Sahyadri.

Prior to the inauguration, the conference began with invoking God’s blessings through a prayer song rendered by Sheetal Rao, Sahyadri student, followed by welcome address delivered by Dr UM Bhushi. Dr Richard Pinto, giving an overview of the conference said, “The genesis of the conference dates back to the creation of CENT in April 2015 for carrying advanced research and development here at Sahyadri. Conferences are required for dissemination of knowledge and for exchange of scientific results among the researchers and experts. In this sense, organization of scientific conferences is a noble task; and as scientific history has shown, scientific conferences are essential for the advancement of science and technology. This conference aims to review the advancement in novel materials and technologies which contribute for the growth of electronics and many other disciplines. The scope includes a variety of materials such as ferroelectrics, multiferroics, polymers, nanomaterials, organic materials and photonic materials”.

He further said, “Scope also includes organic solar cells, CW terahertz photonics and novel technologies for advanced devices. Conference will comprise plenary/invited talks, oral and poster presentations. It is hoped that this international conference will provide a platform, both for specialists and research students, to present their latest results in the area of novel materials and technologies and also enhance R&D effort at Sahyadri College of Engineering & Management. The conference will end with a concluding session with brainstorming followed by a panel discussion with the theme of Nano-science and Technology”.

Speaking during the occasion, Prof. Dr Byrappa complimented Sahyadri college for taking up the initiative to start the research centre on Smart Materials and Technologies for Emerging Electronics. He further said, ” Other institutions should follow the model of Sahyadri. By holding conferences like this one, students can learn more and show interests in such research work. When the research culture grows, they will shine and bring laurels and pride to their college. This is an opportunity for students and faculty to interact and learn more on such research. I would suggest that the college should also introduce Bio-sciences which will be also useful for the students.

Chairman of Sahyadri, Dr Manjunath Bhandary addressing the gathering said, ” The vision of Sahyadri is to become a globally recognized centre striving continuously for excellence in Education, Research, and Technological. The motto of our institution is to provide excellence in quality education driven by advanced research in areas of scientific, technical and management studies with the involvement of various departments. With research team, the institute will be committed to make Sahyadri a strong research centre along with project labs. I am glad that I met Dr Richard Pinto, and I feel proud that under his leadership this new research centre will reach greater heights and that students will benefit a lot for their future career. This research centre is not only for Sahyadri students, but for anyone through 365 days and 24×7. I urge the students to utilize all the benefits this research centre has to offer”. Prof. Dr Gottfried also spoke and shared his experiences on the vast electronic and other science related subjects that he was at the helm, and also said that he feels proud to be associated with many educational institutions in India, and now, including Sahyadri.

Padma Shri RM Vasagam delivering his key-note address also complimented Dr Richard Pinto and Sahyadri College for taking up the new project. He said, ” When something is discovered and invented, even the common man should be benefited. Presently electronics and smart materials play a vital role in the growth of the world economy. Electronics dominate the world at present. Nanotechnologies make use of very small objects or artefact’s. Nanomaterials are an increasingly important product of nanotechnologies. They contain nanoparticles, smaller than 100 nano-metres in at least one dimension. Nanomaterials are coming into use in health care, electronics, cosmetics and other areas. Their physical and chemical properties often differ from those of bulk materials, so they call for specialised risk assessment. This needs to cover health risks to workers and consumers, and potential risks to the environment. This is currently done on a case by case basis, but risk assessment methods need to be kept up to date as the use of nanomaterials expands, especially as they find their way into consumer products”.

During the occasion the Conference Souvenir was released by the Chief Guest, and also MoU was signed between Sahyadri College and Dr. M. G. R. Educational and Research Institute, Chennai.

Following the formal inaugural function there will be scientific and technical sessions both on February 19 and 20, 2016. There will be 18 invited lectures by renowned scientists from central institutes like Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, IIT Bombay and there will be more than 50 research papers by researchers from all over India. The conference will have 5 theme sessions as follows: Session-1,. Materials and Devices; Session-2, Organic Photovoltaics; Session -3, THz Photonics; Session – 4, Materials and Techniques and Session -5, Concluding session. The conference will also have a Poster Session on February 19, 2016 in which nearly 50 research scholars will present their latest research findings.

He is the Pro-Chancellor, Dr.M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, Chennai; Former Vice Chancellor Anna University, and Advisory Board Member, International Journal of Bio-Sciences and Technology. He had received his B.E. (Hons) from University of Madras, 1963 and M.Tech. from IIT Madras, 1965, and has professional training/background in Avionics, Navigation, Guidance, Control and Systems Engineering areas. He is an Outstanding Scientist of the ISRO. He has been working for the Indian Space Program since its inception in the early 1960’s. He has served as : VC in Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, Chennai; Director-(Information Technology) Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore; Chairman- Tamilnadu Institute of Information Technology,Chennai; VC- Anna University, Chennai; Director-Directorate of Advanced Technology and Planning, ISRO Headquarters, Bangalore; Project Director of Apple-India’s first experimental geostationary communication satellite project during 1977 – 83 time frame

He is a Fellow of International Academy of Astronautics, Paris; Fellow of National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad; Fellow of Aeronautical Society of India;Fellow of Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers; Fellow Member of Astronautical Society of India and Senior Member of IEEE. He is a Member / Convener in the Steering Committee on Science and Technology, State Planning Commission, Tamil Nadu, and also serves as Member in the Standing Committee of the Department of Ocean Development, Govt. of India. He has contributed as Member of the Natural Sciences Sub-Commission of Indian National Commission for UNESCO, Ministry of Science & Technology, New Delhi, and serves a Member of the 10th Five Year Plan Working Group for Department of Space.

About Prof. Dr K Byrappa:

Prof. Byrappa is the the eighth Vice-Chancellor of the 33-year-old Mangalore University. He obtained his Ph.D. in materials science from Moscow State University, Russia, in 1981. He has authored eight books relating to science. In 2011, he received the Dr. Raja Ramanna Award for Science and Technology from the State government for science education. He has delivered special lectures and course lectures in various countries like Spain, Japan, the U.S., the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, South Korea. He has also visited Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Europe. His research area is Hydrothermal, Solvothermal and Supercritical Fluid Technology, nanotechnology, nanomaterials and materials science. He has published eight books and contributed a number of research articles for various journals.

About Prof. Dr Gottfried Dohler:

Prof. Dr Gottfried Dohler earned his PhD in Theoretical Physics from the Technical University of Munich in 1968. He is a member of the Max Planck Research Group, Institute of Optics, Information and Photonics. He has taught at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg since 1986 and was a visiting Professor at Johannes Kepler Universitya at Linz. Dr Dohler has also worked at the Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics in Munich, the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, and at the Hewlett-Packard lab in Palo Alto, California, USA. His research interests are high field phenomena, electronic properties of semiconductor superlattices and microstructures. He has published more than 400 articles in leading journals. In 1984, Dr Dohler received the Walter Schottky Prize from the German Physical Society. He is a member of the German Physical Society and the American Physical Society.